Doctor denies letting RGIII play after December knee injury

WASHINGTON – Redskins star quarterback Robert Griffin III gave fans quite a scare in early December when he injured his knee.

Now, the doctor who supposedly examined RG3 is denying that he gave the okay for him to return to the field.

In the final minutes of the Dec. 9 game against the Baltimore Ravens, Robert Griffin III went down hard after a big hit by Ravens nose tackle Haloti Ngata. Griffin limped off the field into the locker room, only to return minutes later.

That’s where two versions of the truth begin. Mike Shanahan, head coach for the Redskins, told reporters afterwards that Griffin was examined by James Andrews, an orthopedic surgeon, and was cleared to return to the field for four more plays.

“Dr. Andrews got a chance to look at him and he said put him back in,” Shanahan told reporters.

In the post-game press conference, Shanahan recalled the conversation he had with Dr. Andrews.

“‘Hey Dr. Andrews, can Robert go back in?’ ‘Yeah he can go back in.’ ‘Robert, go back in.’ That was it,” Shanahan said.

But Dr. Andrews told USA Today on Saturday that it is not true because Griffin didn’t consult with the doctors.

“He didn’t even let us look at him,” Andrews told USA Today. “He came off the field, walked through the sidelines, circled back through the players, and took off back to the field. It wasn’t our opinion.”

Andrews says he’s still worried about RGIII’s health as the Redskins take on the Seahawks Sunday afternoon.

“I’m the one that shut him down that day, finally,” Andrews told USA Today. “I’ve been a nervous wreck letting him come back as quick as he has. He’s doing a lot better this week, but he’s still recovering and I’m holding my breath because of it.”

WTOP has tried to contact the Redskins, but the team was not immediately available for comment.

It is not the first time the team has sparked controversy over the quarterback. The NFL fined the Redskins $20,000 in October for not properly updating the media after Griffin received a head injury. Shanahan said Griffin was “shaken up” after a hit in a game against the Atlanta Falcons but did not offer any updates during the game.

At the post-game news conference, Shanahan confirmed that Griffin had suffered a concussion. The NFL released a statement reiterating that the League requires teams to provide the media with accurate and timely information on team injuries during the game:

“The team should have updated Griffin’s status for the televising network and news media from ‘questionable’ to ‘out with a concussion,’ especially since it involved a starting quarterback in a close game that could have gone into overtime.”